Injuries, disease, as well as the natural aging process, can lead to changes in the musculoskeletal system of the body—i.e. the bones, joints, and muscles of the body. Such changes, or injuries, can manifest in physical degeneration. To correct such damage, medical practitioners routinely perform various orthopedic procedures.
Routine orthopedic procedures include hip replacement and knee replacement surgery. During replacement of a joint such as the hip or knee, diseased or damaged joint surfaces are replaced with metal and plastic components shaped to allow continued use (and motion) of the joint. After incisions are made for surgical access, damaged or diseased materials, such as bones and muscles, are removed, with artificial prostheses inserted in their place. Additionally, it is often necessary to remove surgical implements that are secured to a patient. However, access to the surgical implements may be limited due to the confines of the surgical operating workspace.
Several different tools are used during orthopedic procedures to place and/or remove various objects. Mallets are frequently used to apply an impacting force on a medical tool, such as a chisel, to remove bones or other implanted objects. Mallets are also commonly used to insert an implant, and to remove tools positioned in the surgical area. While mallets are effective, the impacting force must be axially applied to avoid misalignment of the prosthesis, or the inadvertent removal of bone. Moreover, the force applied must be sufficiently controlled for avoiding damage to the bone.
To overcome some of these problems, slap hammers have been developed and are widely used in orthopedic procedures to apply an impacting force on various tools used during surgery. Slap hammers typically consist of a guide rod and a sliding weight. One end of the guide rod is affixed to an object or surface, such as a surgical implement. The sliding weight may be thrown upward, generating a jerking force when the sliding weight strikes a stop on the end of the guide rod. The sliding weight may be repeatedly “thrown” to extract the surgical implement. Alternatively, when the slap hammer is affixed to a loose object or surface, the hammer may be dropped or thrown downward toward the object for a precision impact.
Conventional slap hammers, however, may not deliver a controlled, consistent, and optimal impact force. Thus, there is a need for a more effective and convenient slap hammer tool.